Fruits of love
by RyuravenFox
Summary: Mikasa x Annie warring tribes AU. Mikasa sets of alone for her coming of age trail. She runs into Annie, from the enemy tribe. The two clash blades, and something sparks between them. Will they remain enemies, or will their tribes unite? Mikannie, Yumikuri. Readers may choose side pairings. Rated T for languish. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

If you're curious about how the characters dress up or about updates, you can check my tumblr. Just look for Ryuraven or use the link on my profile.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 1

Two tribes were set apart by a river, a kilometer wide. The Sina tribe to the southwest, Trost to the northeast. In the river there was an island, an island both tribes wanted to claim. The reason for this was a tree which bore fruit all year long. Normally that kind of tree was rare, but on that island, there were at least a hundred. They had named the island Mabi, the same name as the fruit.

Mikasa rowed towards the island, alert eyes scanning the trees. Although she was a skilled fighter with both blade and arrow, out on the water she was an easy target for her enemies. Her bow laid in front of her, ready just in case.

When she hit shore she quickly pulled her canoe on land, that was without a doubt the most vulnerable moment. Hands occupied, hunched over and unable to see more than the water and the shore.

But the boat was safely on land and she hadn't noticed anything worrisome. Now she had nothing left to fear until she got back to the water. Despite her youth, she was the best warrior in her tribe. Since her sixteen no one had been able to defeat her, besides her cousin Levi. But two years ago he got shot in his leg during a battle, and has been walking with a limp ever since.

Now she was the best, and as a result she had many ask for her hand. Fortunately she hadn't gone through the coming of age trail so she was not allowed to marry yet. Until today.

The trail consisted of going to the island alone and returning with three large bags of mabi. The task itself was rather easy, but the real challenge was not to run into any enemies. Some had been lucky enough to not ever see them, others had never returned from their trail.

Mikasa swung an empty bag over her shoulder. The trees closest to the shore were raided of their ripe fruits the day before, all part of the test. She walked further, eyes scanning the area carefully.

There was one good thing about the test compared to the usual fruit-picking. Since you were alone, you didn't have to check if the person you saw was an enemy or a friend before attacking.

The trees stood at few meters length from each other, their need for space being the reason they rarely grew in the forest. Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves and blossoms, the sweet fragrance of the mabi hanging in the air.

She reached a tree that seemed to carry a lot of ripe fruit. She started by picking the fruits she was able to reach from the ground, then she climbed up the tree to harvest the rest. After the fourth tree her bag was full and she returned to her canoe to get the next.

Besides a few squirrels scavaging for fallen mabi and bickering birds the island seemed deserted. Mikasa stayed alert, but was able to relax a little while she filled her second bag.

She carried the second bag back to her canoe, glad her task was almost over. When she passed the last tree blocking her view from the canoe, she dropped the bag, not caring she spilled fruit.

In her canoe stood a short blond girl she didn't know, snacking on stolen goods. The girl looked at her with icy blue eyes and threw her snack away. She smirked when Mikasa drew her blades, then licked her lips while she did the same.

Mikasa slashed wildly at her neck, but the girl ducked and stepped out of the canoe, spinning her blades confidently as she took her stance.

Mikasa feigned an attack to her stomach with her right hand, while aiming for her legs with the left. The girl blocked both swords and lunged for Mikasa's neck in the same move.

Mikasa jumped back, immediately having to block a slash to her torso. This girl was not an easy opponent, but Mikasa refused to stay on the defensive.

The two continued to exchange blows, heading deeper into the island as they did. They both managed to bypass each other's defense a few times, but the wounds were little more than scratches.

Excitement filled her as she seemingly danced with the blonde, and judging by the smile on the blonde's lips, she enjoyed having a worthy opponent just as much. Mikasa changed to a different style, perhaps the new moves would throw the other girl off. Instead the girl's smile widened, gracefully adjusting her own moves.

The clashing sounds of metal filled the air, unrelenting in their speed. Both girl panted at the same time, eyes locked, knowing they both wanted it to last. The thrill of battle had them in its grasp, to the point where their surroundings no longer seemed real.

An arrow grazed past Mikasa's cheek, drawing some blood, and breaking them from their trance. They both jumped back, looking for the archer.

"Ymir! Don't shoot!" the blonde shouted.

"Yea- What?!" A tall brunette lowered her bow a little, looking confused.

Mikasa took the chance to position herself so she could easily keep an eye on both of them. Ymir was too far away to be able to attack either of them without getting shot at.

"Why can't I shoot her? She's a Sina for god's sake!"

"She's mine."

"What? Annie, this isn't the moment to realize your sexual preferences!"

"No, you idiot! She's able to keep up with me." She looked back at Mikasa. "I have never met anyone I could call I worthy opponent before."

"Oh… that's probably more like you." Ymir started walking closer to them, bow still ready. "… Though I do still think you're into girls."

"Shut up Ymir."

"What? You did say there aren't any guys who look good, what other conclusion am I supposed to come to?"

"Why do you always have to bring this topic up? I thought you got over your crush on me, why should you even care what I'm into?" The blonde turned her blades at the brunette now, not threatening, but still a sign she should back off. The brunette didn't seem to care and rambled on anyway.

Mikasa decided to leave them to their bickering, rather than taking the chance to kill them. She slowly backed away, careful not to draw attention to herself.

"You're the one bringing it up, I got over you years ago!" Ymir said.

"You started on that sexual preference, before that I was enjoying my fight with a worthy opponent. Still would be, if you hadn't interrupted!" she turned back, seeing nothing but trees. "Where did she go?"

Mikasa heard shouts, now clearly aimed at her, and started running. She wasn't even sure where exactly she was on the island, but all she had to do was find the shore to figure it out. After a bit of running she saw a canoe, but when she reached it, she realized it wasn't hers.

She was on the wrong side of the island, the enemies' side. She stood behind a tree, if there were archers at the other side of the river, they wouldn't be able to see her. Her mind was racing to come up with a solution. If she ran straight back, she would probably run into those girls. She decided to run through the island in an arch, evading the area they likely were.

She had only ran for a bit when a voice reached her ears. "Don't move, Sina girl."

Ymir stepped from behind a tree, arrow aimed at Mikasa's chest. "Annie! Found her!" she shouted.

Mikasa still held her blades, but knew well enough that the arrow would kill her before she could even scratch the other girl. So she waited for the blonde to join them.

"Put away your blades." the blonde said as she joined them, knifes in hand.

Mikasa did as she was told, knowing her death was certain if she tried to make a move against them. If only Annie wasn't such a good fighter, it could have worked.

Annie gave a nod, and Mikasa was forced to go back to their canoe with them. "We're leaving." She said to Ymir, who dragged the canoe into the water and stepped in, waiting.

Annie sheeted her blades and held out her hand. "I'm Annie." she said.

"Mikasa." She said and grabbed her forearm, a warriors greeting.

"Mikasa." Annie said as she stepped backwards into the canoe. "May we fight again."

Ymir started rowing, while Annie stood, staring at Mikasa, who gave a single nod.

After filling the third bag Mikasa headed back to her village. There she handed the three bags over to Rod Reis, the chief of their tribe. He called for someone to inspect her wounds before calling the tribe together.

When the whole tribe had gathered in a circle around the fire, Mikasa and Rod, the final ceremony started. Mikasa sat down on her appointed spot, her back soon protesting to the flames nearly touching it. All part of the test. Rod stood a few meters in front of her, all eyes on him.

"Mikasa, you have returned successfully from your trail, and now you may tell us all how things went. And judging by your wounds you encountered quite some enemies. Please inform us of how many you slayed." Rod spoke.

Mikasa swallowed, after the fight she had forgotten all about this part of the trail. She figured she might as well tell the truth, or at least most of it. They wouldn't see her the same if she told them she received mercy from their enemy. She couldn't claim to have killed someone either, the lack of dead bodies would reveal her lie.

"I was able to fill the bags without being interrupted. But when I returned to my canoe with my last bag, there was someone waiting for me. I fought her, but she and I were of equal skill. Our battle took us deeper into the island, and it was then that the archer appeared. The one I fought told her not to fire at me, because she wanted to… kill me herself. They started arguing over it and I snuck away."

Rod looked at her unimpressed. "You are the strongest of our tribe, yet you did something cowardly as sneaking away?"

"The first girl was a worthy opponent, if I were to attack her at that moment and failed to kill her, it would have been my life that ended. Were it any other, two on one would be no problem for me. I returned this day, so I may fight another."

"Very well, you passed the trail, I suppose. Come forth, Mikasa."

Mikasa stood, took a few steps so she was close enough end kneeled.

"Today, Mikasa showed us her bravery, harvesting three bags of fruit deep on Mabi island, alone. With this deed she steps into adulthood." He took a bowl of red war paint, and drew a line across her forehead, to the tip of her nose. He painted her eyelids, a line running down the middle of them, and finally from the corners of her mouth to the tip of her chin.

"Rise a warrior, claim your place in our tribe with honor."

Mikasa stood and looked around to the other people in her tribe. They smiled at her, some guys even winked.

"You now have the right to marry, and have access to everything your parents left behind, including their house. You are now the head of your family, take that role with pride. Now, celebrate!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, Mikasa smiled as the drums started to play. Her cousin was the first to reach her, and he hugged her tightly.

"Thank the heavens you returned. I don't think I could have handled losing the only family I have left."

"Don't worry Levi, I won't go down that easy."

"That's what I thought before those Trost bastards shot me in the leg. Had I been alone…"

"What's with all the whining, Levi?" Eren interrupted. "She's an adult now, we should celebrate! Congrats, Mikasa!" He pushed a cup in her hand.

More people came to her to congratulate her, some of them offering their son as a possible husband. Though she still missed her parents, she was glad she was the head of her family now. It was the task of the head of a family to decide on a wife or husband for their children. Both she and Levi were in that situation now, and they were both single, despite the many options. It was nice to be given a chance to choose freely.

She had been living with the Yeagers for quite a few years, and they offered her help with moving the few things she had back to her old house.

They went to work as soon as everyone had the chance to say a few words to Mikasa. They would return to the party after that, it wasn't going to take long. All they had to do was move her clothes and weapons and they'd be done.

It felt odd to step into the house again after so many years, but Mikasa decided not to dwell on it, this was her house after all. She took of her weapon belts, and looked around the place.

The walls were made out of long thin branches, entangled to make a rather sturdy wall. The roof was made in the same way, going upwards to the middle, where a hole was present to let smoke escape. Directly below was the fireplace, where her mother used to cook. Further to the back were the beds. There was no real distinction between the rooms, but usually there would be extra clothes and covers hanging on a rope between her parents bed and hers.

Mikasa walked to her bed. She sat down and realized it was too small. She had grown a lot since she last slept here, the law of her tribe demanding that children needed to live with adults. She sighed, she had not expected that she'd sleep in her parents bed tonight.

Instead of letting the memories take a claim on her, she went outside, chugged a cup down, and joined the others in their dance. Whenever she was dancing or fighting she was relieved of her thoughts. The joyful tone of the flute, mixed with the drink she had earlier, got her in a bright mood again. She even pulled Levi of his spot next to the fire, forcing him to dance, much to his dislike.

"Mikasa, you know I don't like to dance." He said.

"Ah, come on, Levi! I'm an adult now, the least you can do is give me one dance."

"Fine, one dance. But only because it will keep those shitheads away." He nodded to a bunch of guys who couldn't keep their eyes of her.

"Levi!" Mikasa shoved him playfully.

"What? As your cousin it is my duty to keep all unwanted male idiots away."

As the sun slowly returned to the earth, she became tired of dancing and decided to sit on one of the logs around the fire. Occasionally sipping from her cup, she watched the others dance to the drums and flutes.

Her mind started to wander back to the events earlier that day. To Annie. The blonde had taken her on with such confidence, as if the fight would be nothing more than a game. A game where she decided when it would start, and when it would end.

The longer their blades clashed, the brighter her eyes shone. Mikasa couldn't deny that the feeling was mutual. There just was something about finding an equally skilled fighter that was just so exiting. When they had left, the two girls no longer felt like enemies. As if their future fights would be for fun, not for killing.

Mikasa shook her head, she shouldn't think of the enemy like that, surely it would become her downfall. Deciding she had had too many drinks, she got up and went to bed.

Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think.

There are still characters I haven't decided for which tribe they are in or who to pair them up with. I might just take your suggestion ;)

I hope to keep updating regularly, but I really have to start on my schoolwork.


	2. Chapter 2

Here you go, the second chapter. If Krista is ooc, I apologize, it was rather hard to write her.

Chapter 2

The next morning Mikasa awoke, sensing something was missing. She laid still, her sleepy mind trying to figure out what was wrong. Then it hit her, there was no light cracking of a fire, no scent of soup hanging in the air.

She opened her eyes, looking up at the blue sky visible through the chimney. She sat up, realizing she was alone. Sighing she went out, heading for the food storage.

She didn't feel like cooking so early in the morning, besides, they had too much fruit now anyway. She grabbed an armful of mabi, and sat down near the smoldering fire in the center of their village.

After a while others started to come outside as well, starting on their daily tasks. Krista saw her and sat down next to her.

"Hey." Mikasa said.

"Morning. Is that your breakfast?"

"Yeah, didn't feel like cooking right after I woke up. Besides, I risked my life for this." She took another bite.

"Really Mikasa? _You_ risked your life?" Krista asked unbelievingly.

"I did say she was strong."

"Are you sure you didn't leave anything out? Historia left some stuff out of her story as well." She gasped. "Don't tell dad! He's gonna be so pissed if he finds out."

"Don't worry. I don't really have a reason to speak with him."

"Now you're avoiding my question, what really happened?"

"I'll tell you later, when I'm sure no one would overhear us."

"But I wanna know now." Krista pouted.

"Fine." Mikasa sighed. "I'll meet you at the boats, I'll be there in a minute."

"You had better not make me wait!"

Mikasa laughed. Whenever Krista was curious about something she didn't let go until she got what she wanted. But her attempts at threats were quite funny.

Krista leaned against a tree, watching the way her skirt fluttered in the wind. The canoes laid waiting in front of her.

"Ugh, putting on that warpaint takes longer than I thought. Do I really have to do this every day?" Mikasa said as she joined her.

"You chose to be a warrior. Otherwise you could be free of weapons and paint like me." Krista chirped.

"Hell no, I like fighting. C'mon, let's get this canoe in the water."

Krista helped her drag the boat into the river. "Where are we going?"

"Just a bit down the river, then we can talk freely." Mikasa answered, starting to row.

Krista trained her eyes on the dark haired girl, burning with curiosity. She kept silent though, Mikasa would speak when she felt it was okay to do so.

"You know, the fight wasn't that bad." Mikasa started. "I mean, sure we started out trying to slit each other's throat. But once I knew she could fight on par with me, it was just fun. And I could see in her eyes that she felt the same way."

"So you stopped trying to kill each other?" Krista asked.

"I'm not sure. I just kind of went with the flow of the fight without thinking about it."

"And what about that archer?"

"She shot me on my cheek. I hadn't noticed her until it was too late. It's my worst injury as well. Annie told her not to fire since she wanted to fight me."

"Annie?"

"… Yeah, they started arguing and I picked up on their names. The archer's name is Ymir."

"Were they really arguing on killing you?" Krista asked worried.

"No, that was completely unrelated." Mikasa looked off to the side, those two were clearly at ease, to argue like that with an enemy before them. "Anyway, they let me go, but Annie said 'may we fight again' so I feel like I'll see her again."

Krista was silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. "What do you mean, you feel like you'll see her again?"

"I don't know, it's just a feeling. Maybe she'll go to Mabi island every day to see if I show up. Probably not though, like I said, it's just a feeling."

"Oh." Krista gasped. Mikasa looked at her questioningly. "I know that look. You're hoping to see her again too, aren't you?"

Mikasa stared at her feet. She couldn't deny that, but it wasn't like she wanted to meet the blonde that badly either.

"Mabi island is right there. We're already on the water." Krista hinted.

"I don't know."

Krista's smile dropped of her face. "Why are you hesitating so much? That's not like you. Come on, let's go!"

Mikasa sighed and set course for the island. There were a few rocks at the north end, no trees grew there, but it was a great place to overlook the island. Usually people didn't come there, and today was no different.

Krista sat down on a rock. "What did they look like?"

"Do you know what they dress like?" Krista nodded. "Well, Annie is quite a bit shorter than me, and… actually she looks a bit like you. Blonde, blue eyes, you know. She had her hair in a bun, a feather sticking out of it."

"And what about the other one, Ymir?"

"About my height, brown eyes and hair, ponytail. She's tan and has a tattoo on her right shoulder. Her pants were quite worn though. She looked just as eager to fight as Annie, but she didn't press on that."

"They sound interesting."

"…You do realize they're enemies, right?" Mikasa said, raising an eyebrow at Krista's smile.

"Well, they didn't kill you when they could have, right? So I think they're actually nice people."

"Krista. What. The. Fuck. It doesn't matter if they're nice people, they're enemies. Your father is the head of our tribe, shouldn't you know we're not supposed to get along with them?"

Krista tilted her head. "If everyone stopped thinking like that, we might get to see that we're all nice people."

Mikasa grunted and rested her face in her hand. She should've known she'd say something like that, it was Krista after all. "Okay, fine. Just don't tell anyone about this, not even Historia. I doubt she'll be as understanding as you. Now, let's go back. They probably have some work wa-"

"Mikasa! I see you brought a friend." Mikasa turned around to see Annie standing at the edge of the rocks, Ymir climbing a few meters behind her.

"Awesome! Then I can have a fight too!" the brunette cheered as she joined her friend.

Krista squealed, jumping up from the rock she was sitting on. "I'm not a warrior! Don't kill me!"

"Fuck." Ymir said.

"I know, she's just your type." Annie said nearly sarcastic. "But to put it in your words, now is not a good time to realize your sexual preferences."

"Why would I realize now what I've known for years?"

Mikasa leaned to Krista. "And now you have an idea what they were arguing about yesterday."

Krista stared at her for a few seconds, then started laughing, attracting the attention of the other two as well. "See, I told you we could see each other as more than enemies." she smiled.

"Alright! Draw your swords, Mika." Annie said as she drew her own.

"There should be a 'sa' somewhere behind that." Mikasa replied.

"Come and get it."

Mikasa lunged her blades at the blonde's head, who simply jumped to the side, smiling.

"So…" Ymir started, now standing next to Krista. "You're good friends with Mikasa?"

"Yes. We all are, I mean, in Sina."

Ymir nodded. "Um… You're really cute, you know."

"Thanks. I'm Krista."

"Ymir."

They went silent, watching the other two fight, a line of red forming on the edge of the blade as time passed. Krista winced each time she saw Mikasa get hit.

"Don't worry, Annie won't kill her. She's just… very enthusiast about fighting someone so skilled." Ymir tried to comfort her.

"I know, it's the same for Mikasa. But if either of them messes up just once, one of them could die. Why did they have to go and use real swords. Just look at all those wounds they have already."

"Yeah… I don't know about your friend, but Annie doesn't like to fight with wooden swords. Not even for practice, as you can tell by looking at my pants. I really have a hard time defending my legs, and she's smaller so she has it easy hitting there. But maybe that's just an excuse."

"How come you guys are here?"

"Well, we are usually the ones to go hunting. We set up a few traps, come here to, uh, see if there is someone we can fight. That's how we ran into Mikasa yesterday. And after a while we go back to check the traps. If we caught nothing we look for prey along the riverside, I'm really good at shooting prey, even if they're moving."

"You're hunting for dinner then?"

"Depends, today we're supposed to get back by lunchtime."

Krista looked at the sun, it was pretty high up in the sky. "Then shouldn't you be heading back?"

"Oh, shit, you're right. Annie! Cut the fight!"

The two paused their fight, standing a few steps away from each other. "What?" Annie snapped, annoyed that her fight was interrupted.

"It's almost lunchtime! We gotta go back!"

"Fuck." Annie sighed and sheathed her swords. "I gotta get some meat on the plate." She said to Mikasa, who nodded and sheathed her blades as well. "What do you say, back here in a few hours? Continue our game?"

"Sure, why not." Mikasa said.

"Awesome, see you then. Let's go Ymir!" she turned around, heading back to the trees.

"Thanks, Krista. You just saved our asses." Ymir gave her a quick peck on the cheek before running after Annie.

"Did she just?" Mikasa asked. Krista blushed, smiling lightly. "Well, princess, I guess you're having an affair with the enemy. Is that the romance you were looking for?"

"What? She just gave me a kiss, that's not an affair!"

Mikasa laughed. "Relax, I'm just teasing you. Let's go back home, I bet they have lunch ready by now."

"Wait, let me patch you up first. People are going to worry if you go back bleeding."

A hot pot of soup was waiting for them in the center of their village, as well as Historia. She handed them their bowls, unspoken questions in her eyes.

"Where were you, Krista? Dad's been looking all over for you. Did you forget you were supposed to help out with gutting the fish?"

"Oh, right. I forgot." Krista said and sipped from the soup.

"Well, dad's given you a new list of things to do, and I swear, I'd rather gut fish. You should go see him when you're done eating."

"But…" Krista looked at Mikasa.

"Whatever it is you were doing, I can do it as well. Just because Mikasa gets a free day doesn't mean you do. I finished my work for the day so it should be fine."

"Poor Ymir." Krista said.

"Who's Ymir?" Historia looked at the two of them, who guiltily looked at each other. "Krista. Don't tell me you found another animal in need of your help." She sighed. "Mikasa, I thought you at least would know to put a hurt animal out of its misery."

Mikasa remained silent, not sure how to react. Krista smiled, finding the interpretations of her sister rather amusing.

"Seriously? You would let her have a pet?"

"Ymir is not a hurt animal." Krista spoke, causing Mikasa to look at her in alarm. "But I'm sure she'd make a great pet."

When the two girls started laughing, Historia didn't know what to think anymore.

They finished their lunch, and Krista left to speak with her father. Mikasa headed for her house, she didn't have to return to Mabi island right away. Annie and Ymir would probably have to much work to be back there by now anyway. Historia followed her, not really having anything to do herself.

"So, what is this Ymir you were talking about?" she asked while Mikasa rummaged through some stuff.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know." Mikasa said as she found her wetting stone.

"Don't tell me Krista's now making friends with monkeys."

"Can't you just drop it?" Mikasa said, sitting down and drawing a blade. She sighed as she saw the thin line of blood caked to the edge, and whipped it off with a rag. Noticing this, Historia came closer, observing her. Mikasa swiped the stone along her blade, and for a few moments it was the only sound in the hut.

"Am I just imagining this, or do you have more cuts than yesterday?"

Mikasa paused to look at the blonde. "You're not gonna drop this, are you?"

"Well, if even Krista is trying to hide it from me, then I just get more curious. I want to know what's going on."

"God, you two really are the same. Just promise me you won't tell anyone else."

"Okay. Promise."

"Just please don't give me a hard time, I know it's not how things are supposed to be. It just… kinda happened."

"No worries. So, what is it?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Historia's face dropped. All this and she still had no idea what was going on. The ringing sound of the sharpening blade rung through the air, and time crept by.

When Mikasa dragged a canoe into the water, Historia tried again. "Can't you at least give me a hint. All this secrecy is making me worry."

"It's nothing to worry about, really. But... Just stay behind me, I don't want you to jump to conclusions and ruin everything."

Historia sighed annoyed, clearly not pleased with the answer, and got in the boat. By the time they reached Mabi island her irritation was replaced with alertness. The thought of possibly being near enemies made her tense.

"Why are we here? It's dangerous. What if we run into Trost scum?"

"This is why I told you to stay behind me. I don't want you jumping on everything that moves. Trust me." She looked the blonde in the eye, only moving after she nodded.

Mikasa headed for the rocks, less alert than she would normally be. Something told her, that if others from Trost were to come here, Annie wouldn't have invited her for another round. And intuition was a warriors best friend. That's what Levi always told her. Trust your instincts before the words of others, no matter who it is.

Right now her instincts told her it was safe to sit down and wait, which she did. Historia's eyes widened lightly, her hands clenching around the handles of her swords.

After a while they hears voices, two people were steadily coming closer.

"Enemies." Historia hissed, drawing her blades.

Mikasa quickly grabbed her arm to prevent her from charging. She sent the blonde a reassuring look, then stood in front of her.

"Hey, look. They're already here." Ymir said as her head peaked above the edge of the rocks.

"All right! Ready to go, Mikasa?" Annie drew her blades.

"I see you remembered my full name this time." Mikasa lunged at her, completely forgetting everything else once she looked into Annie's eyes.

Ymir looked at Historia for a few seconds, taking in her outfit. "You look... quite intimidating for such a cutie."

Historia replied by swinging her blades.

"Whoa!" Ymir quickly ducked. "I thought you weren't a warrior, Krista?"

"You know Krista?" Historia paused for a second.

"You're not Krista?" Ymir said, evading another strike.

"I'm her sister."

"Sister? You're a twin?" Ymir finally drew her blades.

"Enjoy knowing it while you still live." Historia delivered another blow, this time landing it on Ymir's sword.

"I'm gonna enjoy this." Ymir grinned.

Mikasa jumped to evade a strike aimed at her feet, while clashing her blades with Annie's other. While the smaller girl's defense was good, one of her blades managed to slide a little further, drawing blood at her neck.

Annie visibly winced, taking a few steps back as fast as she could. Mikasa held her stance, hoping she hadn't hurt her too badly. "You okay?" she asked.

"I think so." she pressed a hand to the wound. "That was dangerous though."

"I have some bandages with me if you need it."

"That would be nice."

Mikasa pulled out the bundle, gesturing to Annie to remove her hand. A thin line of blood trickled down, following the line of her collarbone. Mikasa gently tapped at the wound to get a better view. Luckily it wasn't deep, and she wrapped the whole bandage carefully around her neck. Not too tight, but not too lose either.

"Maybe we shouldn't always fight with our blades. I don't want to kill you."

"Thanks. But it looks like your friend thinks differently. Wasn't she a nice girl?" Annie said, feeling at the bandage.

Mikasa turned, seeing Historia swing her blades at Ymir with killing intent.

"The nice one is her sister. They're a twin. Maybe I should've said something before jumping at you."

"Yeah. She's pretty good though, getting Ymir on the defense. Or maybe that's just because she doesn't want to hurt her. She has a thing for blondes, after all."

Mikasa spared a glance at Annie. Somehow that topic always came back. Historia managed to pass by Ymir's defense, earning a shout from the taller girl.

"Historia!" Mikasa called, but was ignored. "Historia! Cut the fight!"

The blonde didn't listen until Ymir danced out of her reach. With her eyes still on her opponent, she asked her why.

"We're not here to kill anyone!" At this she did look, noticing how close Mikasa was to Annie, both barehanded.

Ymir joined them, checking on the bandage as well. Annie waved her off, nodding to Historia, who still held a hostile position.

"You are friends with our enemy?" she said unbelievingly.

"I wouldn't call it friends..." Mikasa started.

"What on earth are you thinking? You were fighting them just a moment ago, what the hell happened?"

"We both just like to fight someone of equal skill." she pointed at Annie. "Ymir just happened to be around as well."

"Hey! I'm no third wheel!" Ymir interrupted.

"Are you stupid? Once you get comfortable around them they'll stab you in the back!"

"Historia! This is exactly why I didn't want to take you with me at first!"

"For two people who look so alike they sure are different." Annie remarked.

Ymir stepped up, her hands high above her head. "Here's a deal, Historia. You sheath your blades, and I'll show you my true intentions while keeping my hands up."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, then Historia finally gave in. Ymir closed the rest of the distance, standing really close to the blonde, who looked up at her with an unwavering gaze.

"Oh, no." Annie said burrying her face in her hand.

Ymir leaned down, muttered "One for each sister." and placed a kiss on Historia's cheek.

Historia looked shocked as Ymir backed up, retaining her normal attitude.

"So, since Annie got hurt, I think we'll be going."

"Yeah, that might be a good idea." Annie agreed. "Thanks for the bandage." she patted Mikasa on the shoulder, following the brunette to the edge of the rocks.

"Oh, right. Don't come tomorrow. The whole tribe will be out to pick fruit, so unless you want to die you'd better stay home." she shouted over her shoulder.

As they disappeared from sight Historia joined Mikasa.

"So... what do you think of them?" Mikasa asked hesitantly.

"Um... I don't know. I never really talked to anyone of the Trost tribe before."

"But... you're not gonna tell on me, are you?"

Historia looked at her for a while before answering. "No. Not now, at least. Let's go home."

Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the long wait guys, I had a bit too many other ideas. But I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it!

chapter 3

Mikasa shifted her weight uncomfortably. Krista and Historia had been having a staring contest for what seemed like half an hour now. They both had a very different view on their encounter with the Trost girls, especially Ymir.

While Mikasa had missed the discussion that had led to this, she knew it was serious when the twin wouldn't get along no matter what. Ultimately it was her fault for dragging them into the strange relationship she had somehow created with the Trost girls.

"What is the reason you two don't get along?" she finally asked, hoping to break the stalemate.

"She." Historia pointed at her sister's face, "Is the most idiotic person in this whole village. You don't just flirt with the enemy, and a woman at that, too."

"I was not flirting!" Krista slapped her hand away. "And who are you to speak, not even considering the possibility they are not a threat. That kind of thinking is what gets people killed."

"Not so loud, what if someone hears us?" Mikasa said, trying to divert their attention.

The blondes crossed their arms, turned their backs to each other and pouted. Mikasa smiled lightly at the similarity, then considered her options of solving this problem.

"You know, you guys don't need to see them again. I was the one who met them first anyway."

Krista frowned, while Historia turned her angry gaze towards her.

"Don't even think of seeing them again. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? I'm telling you, they'll stab you in the back!"

"They warned us not to go to the island today. If they really wanted us dead they'd tell us to come instead." Mikasa reasoned.

"Then maybe they're playing at something bigger. To get your trust so you'd tell them things about our tribe, and once they know enough they'll plan an all out attack."

"You're just being paranoid." Krista said.

"You trust too easily!"

"For all they know we could be doing the very thing you just mentioned." Mikasa interrupted.

"Ugh. I'm going back to work." Historia said and left.

"So, what do you have to do tomorrow?" Krista asked.

"I have guard duty in the afternoon."

"Same as Historia. I bet she'll be watching you. And I can't join you if you go see them in the morning because I have to make lunch. You know, the usual."

"I'll probably go alone then. Unless your sister insists on going with me."

With that said, they parted, and on the next morning Mikasa found herself rowing through the foggy waters, glad for the cover it gave her.

There were guard posts around the whole village, manned at all times. They could easily see it when a boat crossed the river. While there was no initial problem with that, going to Mabi island once or twice without having to be there was okay. But if they saw it become a habit, they would tell Rod, and then she'd have to explain. At that point Historia might see it as her duty to speak, thinking she'd given Mikasa enough chances to change her mind on the matter. She'd risk being cast out.

For now the fog served her well, and she could drag it out of sight on land. The problem would be if she returned when the fog had lifted. The fighting would have to wait this time, they had to talk.

She had to wait a little before they showed up. Ymir came running, and her face dropped in disappointment when she saw Mikasa was alone.

"Boo, you didn't bring any cuties this time."

Mikasa ignored her and turned her attention to Annie. "We gotta talk."

Annie raised her eyebrows. "What? Is your tribe planning an attack?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I don't know what it's like for you, but if they notice me coming here a lot they'd tell the chief. And that's a bad thing. If he finds out I've been hanging out with the enemy I'll be cast out."

"Well that ain't good." Ymir said.

"So what do you think we should do? I kinda like fighting you too much to just stop."

"If we had a different place we could meet, outside of the sight of the guards, there wouldn't be a problem."

"Sounds good. And I suppose you want to go home before the fog clears." Mikasa nodded. "Alright. You know there's a rock with a tree downstream in the river?" She nodded again. "Good. Ymir and I will look for a new place to hang out. We'll tie a note to that tree in two days. And if you happen to be there at the same time as us that's even better."

"Alright, I'll check that tree then. Don't you ever get in trouble for coming here so often?"

"We used to get in trouble. Until we came home with a crocodile caught here. The chief sure likes crocodile meat. Besides, we're the best warriors of Trost. All we gotta do is bring home the meat. Do you have a specific job?" Ymir asked.

"Just guard duty. And we decide on our shifts only a day beforehand so I don't even know at which time I'll be able to meet you again."

"Geez, I'm glad I'm not a Sina. Sounds like such a drag." Annie said.

"It's just the way it is. There's still some time before I have to go. Do you wanna fight or talk more?"

"If we start fighting we'd probably lose track of time."

"Yeah…"

"…"

"…"

"So… Mikasa. Did I mess up with the little blondes?" Ymir broke the silence.

"Uh, Krista has to cook. And Historia, well, I don't think you'll see her again."

"Why not? Please don't tell me I fucked up."

Mikasa eyed the brunette worriedly. She had always seemed to be joking rather than meaning her flirting. But now she looked seriously concerned. "I think you lost her at the moment she knew you were from Trost."

"Oh."

"And that concludes Ymir's love life. Not that there ever was a chance for her to find someone."

"Hey! I still have a chance with Krista!"

"I don't even know if she likes girls." Mikasa said.

"No, don't say that, I need to have some hope in my life." Ymir pleaded.

"You sound like Sasha when you tell her we're out of meat." Annie noted. Ymir shot her a glare.

"We have Petra and Hanji who are a couple, aside from them I haven't heard of anyone liking someone of the same gender. Although I wouldn't be surprised if Levi likes dudes. He hasn't told me about anyone and he's thirty."

"You close with that Levi dude?" Ymir asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"He's my cousin." Mikasa deadpanned.

"Oh."

"Screw you and your one track mind Ymir. Can't there be even a single day where you're not trying to pair people up?" Annie said irritated.

"Fine, I get it. I'll go look if there are any crocodiles crawling around."

Annie sat down with a sigh when Ymir had left. Mikasa frowned and sat down next to her.

"What's with the sudden outburst?"

"She's always like that, sometimes it's just a bit too much. I think she's just hopelessly romantic." Mikasa's frown deepened. "Yeah, I know, she doesn't look like it. But back when she liked me, she suddenly started treating me real sweet. It was really weird 'cause she's usually rude. I guess she misses having someone to be all nice to."

"Maybe we should try to set her up with Krista. I mean, she did like the idea of having Ymir as a pet."

Annie laughed at the idea. "She said that?"

"It was more of a joke though. How's your neck?"

"It's fine. I'm a fast healer. By the next time we meet it should be perfect again."

"Hm." Mikasa hummed, looking at the bandage around her neck thoughtfully.

"Seriously, don't worry about it."

"I don't think we should fight with real weapons again. I don't want to accidentally cut off your head."

Annie chuckled. "Funny to hear from someone who's supposed to be your enemy."

"Funny to say to someone who's head I wanted to cut off when we first met."

"What! How rude of you!" Annie mocked hurt.

"Weren't you the rude one, stealing my fruit?"

"Is that how it is?" Annie picked up a rotting mabi. "Here you have it back."

"Ew, keep that away from me!"

"You wanted it back right, so no complaining now." She pulled at Mikasa's top, as if she wanted to drop the rotting fruit there.

Mikasa squealed and jumped away from the blonde. "This isn't funny!"

Annie just laughed and stood up, chasing Mikasa as she started to run. She chased her all over the island, running past Ymir, surprising her enough for her to miss her target. They only stopped when they reached Mikasa's canoe and she put her hands up.

"The fog is lifting, I should go." Mikasa said.

"Right." Annie helped her drag the canoe in the water.

Mikasa was about to start rowing, but Annie stopped her. "Mikasa." She grabbed the taller girl's hand. "I hope we can see each other again soon." She placed something in the hand she was holding.

"Yeah, I hope so too." Mikasa said as Annie left. She looked at what Annie had given her. The rotten fruit. "Annie!" she yelled angrily.

Annie quickly stepped aside, evading the projectile Mikasa threw at her while laughing.

Two days later Mikasa rowed towards the tree they had mentioned. Her next shift on guard duty would start once the sun had set, so she had all day to do what she wanted. Although taking a nap later on might be a good idea.

She reached her destination. A rock big enough for three people to stand on, cracks where the roots penetrated the stone. The tree itself was rather small and carried only a handful of leaves. A scroll was tied around one of the branches. Mikasa set one foot on the rock, the other still in her canoe. She retrieved the paper and read the description.

 _Further downstream, on the left riverbank, there is a rock sticking out a bit. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Don't worry, it's far enough from our village, no one really comes there. We marked the path with red ribbons on the trees, just follow them and you'll find the spot. We'll be waiting there all day for you. So you'd better show up._

Mikasa tucked the note in her pocket and set off towards said place. Ymir had been right, the rock attracted her attention. At least she thought it had been Ymir who wrote the note. She dragged her canoe out of the water. Then she followed the red ribbons along a freshly cleared path.

After a few minutes of walking she noted the scent of roasted meat, and a little later she saw the fire. Ymir and Annie sat on a log next to the fire, enjoying their lunch. Behind them was the rough construct for a hut.

"Hey." Mikasa said as she stepped into the clearing.

"Hey. Alone again?" Ymir asked.

"You want some?" Annie asked, offering the piece she had been eating from.

"No, I ate before I left." She sat down next to them. "Nice place. You guys planning on making a house here?"

"Yeah, we figured since we'll be hanging out here a lot it might be useful. Nothing fancy though. Just to keep out the rain and maybe store some stuff."

"Sounds nice. Krista has some stuff to do now, but I'll be sure to tell her where to find this. You're not planning on taking down those ribbons are you?"

"Nah. But don't worry, like I said before, no one really comes here. We're the best hunters in Trost, and only hunters have a reason to come this far. And even if someone were to find it, we'll just say it's our hanging out spot." Ymir said.

Mikasa looked at Annie, who was still chewing on the meat. "Do you want to wait a bit before we start fighting when you finish that?"

"That would probably be better. If you wanna do something you can work on the hut." She pointed behind her with a greasy thumb.

"Gee, thanks. I'm so honored you trust me with this task."

"You're welcome."

Mikasa looked at her for two seconds before she got up and took a look at the hut so far. What was to be the inside had been swept clean, wooden poles lining up where the walls would be. A single tree stood in the middle of where the entrance would come, presumably to support the roof. At one side, they had already begun to weave long twigs between the poles.

Mikasa was glad to see they made their houses in a similar way to her own, so she knew what to do. First thing was weaving the twigs all the way to the top, then adding bundles of twigs and grasses at the outer side, making it all stick together with mud. The same for the roof, except thicker and with layers of big leaves in between to keep the rain out.

There were a lot of bushes and other plants surrounding the spot, ensuring a well camouflaged hideout. As long as the fire didn't attract anyone's attention. Or the smell of the food.

"Meat!" The shout came from an unfamiliar voice, and Mikasa crouched in reflex. Her hand rested on the handle of her sword as she located the woman who had startled her.

"Sasha! What the fuck are you doing here?" Ymir said as she stood up.

"Well, the meat was all gone and I thought maybe you could get me some more so I went looking for you, but then I smelled this and…" Without finishing her sentence she grabbed the last piece that was roasting above the fire and sunk her teeth in it.

"Sometimes I seriously wonder how you don't get fat." Annie said dryly and continued on her own piece.

Sasha took her eyes of her meat to retort, but changed her mind. "Do you guys realize there's a Sina chick sneaking up on us?"

"Yeah, well, she'll have to wait. I'm eating." Annie said without bothering to look around.

"Errr, Annie, are you feeling okay?" Sasha sounded seriously worried.

Mikasa got up from her crouch. "So I suppose this Sasha girl isn't a threat to me?"

Annie looked over her shoulder. "I'm the only threat you'll ever meet."

"You just make sure you don't lose your head over such a statement." Ymir laughed at Mikasa's comment.

"Don't worry Mikasa, she won't hurt a fly. Unless she plans on eating it of course."

"Ymir! I don't eat freaking flies!" The brunette just laughed some more. "Why are you okay with hanging out with an enemy anyway? I wouldn't have expected that out of you two at all."

"I just met my match." Annie said. "And it'd be a real waste of fun to just kill her, don't you think?"

"Um, I guess so. But don't you think this is dangerous at all? Like if I hadn't come here she'd just come up behind you and cut of your heads."

All three girls gave her a look, and Sasha knew none of them would have thought of that if she hadn't said it. And when she saw Mikasa claim a spot on the log in between Ymir and Annie, she knew it'd be fine.

When they finished eating they worked on the hut for a while. Then Annie and Mikasa decided it was time to swing their fists at each other, until the later had to leave, promising she'd let Krista know where to find them.

Don't forget to let me know what you think, it really helps me through the days I'm less inspired.

I'm still open to suggestions of side-pairings.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, time for some romantic build-up. Thanks to those who reviewed! Without you I wouldn't even have started on this chapter yet.

Chapter 4

Mikasa told Krista where their new hangout spot was, not forgetting to mention Sasha. After that she took a nap. Currently she was standing in a guard post, which basically was a treehouse. In the middle was an iron pole carrying a torch, the place with the least risk to set the tree on fire. A rope was lined around the village, connected to a bunch of bones. If anyone or anything touched the rope it would cause a clattering noise to warn the guards. Mikasa was staring into the flame of the torch, her mind wandering.

"Hey! Help me out?"

The words pulled her from her daze, and she looked down the ladder of the guard post. Historia lifted two mugs and a large jug up.

"I figured we could use something to drink."

Mikasa hummed and leaned down to grab the stuff. She had just placed them in a corner when Historia joined her in the treehouse. They filled the mugs and toasted.

"To a long night of guarding."

They sipped their drinks in silence for a while, then Historia spoke up. "Have you been seeing those 'friends' of yours again?"

"What is it to you? If you don't like it, then why do you keep asking about it?" Mikasa didn't feel like spending the whole night arguing about it yet _again._

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you. Did you take Krista with you?"

"No, you two were doing something with your dad, remember? I just told her where our new meeting spot is."

Historia furrowed her brows in concern. "She asked me at which post we'll be guarding tonight. That was during dinner, she still isn't back. I'm starting to think she's planning to sneak back in here. I'm worried. Sure it isn't completely dark yet, but the sun has set."

"What? Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. Assuming she's safe with those two, there's still the matter of crocodiles and jaguars and who knows what else. She doesn't have any weapons." Historia let out a frustrated shout.

"This isn't like her though, to stay away that long. There's a lot of time in between dinner and sunset, I don't see why she'd want to stay out this long."

"I bet this is all dads fault. He knows we don't like that, and even Levi looked like he was holding back to punch him."

"What happened?" Mikasa asked.

"Dad was pushing us again to find a man. And of course he'd ask Levi since he's practically the best warrior. No offence but the guy is old. Krista was on the verge of tears. I really hope she's ok."

Krista was rowing down the river, the evening sun reflecting in the tears on her cheek. "Stupid dad!" she shouted, hitting the water hard with her oar. She shivered as the water splashed onto her. The sun wasn't warm enough anymore to dry her clothes, and when she reached the rock Mikasa had described to her, she was shivering, all her clothes soaked. But she didn't care for the cold, it barely did anything to keep her from remembering the previous hours.

She followed the red ribbons, and soon the scent of roasted meat and soup hung in the air. When she reached the clearing she saw Ymir and Annie on a log in front of the fire. A third person stood with her back towards her, stirring in a pot.

Ymir noticed her first. "Krista?" she got up and before she could even ask any questions Krista collapsed in her arms and started crying. "Krista? What's wrong? Geez, you're soaked." She picked the little blonde up, carrying her closer to the fire so she could warm up.

Both Annie and Sasha watched with concerned eyes as Krista's sobbing slowly lessened. She had her face buried in Ymir's shoulder, who gently stroked her back. "Can you guys get some blankets or clothes, she's really cold." They nodded and left.

Ymir lifted a hand to Krista's cheek, wiping away her tears. "Hey, it's okay, you're safe here." Krista relaxed a little. "Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

"My dad keeps pushing me to get married. He's really trying to get me together with some guy who's ten years older than me. If he were to accept there'd be nothing I can do." Krista sobbed.

Ymir hummed, not sure how to reply.

"I'm just so glad Levi dares to say no to him."

"Is your dad that scary?"

"He's the chief. No one really dares to speak against him."

"Well, maybe he might change his mind about forcing you into marriage when you introduce me to him. I can be quite polite if I want to. Surely he will give us his blessing."

Krista chuckled. "Idiot. He'll cut off your head."

"Yeah, well, no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you." Ymir placed a kiss on her forehead. "And I don't plan on ever letting anyone hurt you."

"I wish we didn't have this stupid war, then I could see you whenever I wanted to." Krista adjusted her position so she could absorb more warmth.

"Well then, why don't we find a way to end it, you and I."

"That'd be nice. But I don't know how I'd have to do that."

Annie and Sasha returned, and soon Krista sat in a warm bundle of blankets in front of the fire. She listened to the plans the others had for making a hut, enjoying the way Ymir's fingers occasionally ran through her hair. She laughed at Sasha when she was overly worried the food had burnt in her absence. She had a bowl of the delicious soup and her mood lifted visibly.

"It's dark." Annie said.

"Yeah, so?" Ymir replied.

"Don't you think Krista should be going home?"

Krista looked at her feet. She knew Annie was right, and she couldn't use wet clothes as an excuse anymore to stay. "Yeah, that would probably be best." She said and got up.

"Hold on." Ymir said. "You're not planning on going home by yourself are you?"

"Why not? I know the area well enough to find my way in the dark."

"Krista. During the day you can see animals, but they can see better in the dark than you. And you don't even have weapons to defend yourself with."

"There's enough place in my canoe for three. You can escort me. I know where Mikasa and Historia are so they can let me in without you getting in trouble."

"Alright princess. You have your escort. Annie, you coming to?"

"Sure."

"Don't worry guys, I'll guard the food while you're gone." Sasha said, while filling her bowl for the umpteenth time."

Annie sat in the front, a torch in one hand, her sword in the other. Krista sat in the middle, Ymir rowing behind her. Krista pointed out where they best left the canoe, just far enough so the guards wouldn't notice.

"Fuck." Annie said.

"What's wrong?" Krista asked.

"This canoe is the only way for us to go back, but won't they notice when there's one missing?"

"Just give it back tomorrow. Don't worry about it now. This way."

They could see the fires from the guard posts in the distance, and Krista counted until she found the one where Mikasa and Historia were.

"We're almost there, do you can you find the way back on your own?" Krista asked.

"Don't worry, it's not that far." Ymir said, eyes on the fire ahead of them.

Mikasa filled her cup for the third time that night. "I hate night watch. The only thing you really have to look out for is sleep." She confirmed her statement by yawning.

"Did you hear that?" Historia said, readying her bow.

"Heard what?" Mikasa said, picking up her own bow.

"Voices. And look, there's someone holding a torch."

They watched as three people came closer. "Didn't they just cross the rope? Why didn't the alarm go off?"

"Maybe it's Krista, she knew where we're standing guard." Historia said, putting down her bow and taking the torch. She waved it, glad when the people below them responded in kind.

"Mikasa? Historia?" Krista spoke.

"Krista! I was so worried about you!" Historia shoved the torch in Mikasa's hands and hurried down. She wrapped her arms tightly around her twin, for once not caring about Annie and Ymir. "Why did you have to stay out so long?" she asked, a single tear mixing with the warpaint.

"Sorry. I was just so upset after the whole thing with dad."

"Me too, Krista. Me too." She pulled back to look her sister in the eye. "Next time he tries to marry one of us, I'll show him my sword."

Krista smiled faintly. "Come, I'll get you home." Historia said. She started to lead Krista around the guard post.

"Wait." Mikasa interrupted. "Take their torch." Historia looked up at her for a few seconds before nodding and taking the torch from Annie. With that the twin left, the light of the torch gradually growing smaller.

"Why did you tell her to take our torch?" Annie asked.

"The other guards must have noticed the fire as well. They're probably far enough not to see what is going on, but it's safer if they think it was just Krista."

"You sure are making it hard on us to find our way back. And Krista said something about a trap. What about that?"

"It's just an alarm. If you touch the rope it makes noise. There's a rock over there, can you find it?" She pointed.

Ymir looked around a bit. "Yeah. Now what?"

"If you take two steps away from here you should be right in front of it. It's below knee height and if you touch it lightly it shouldn't go off." Mikasa explained, as quiet as possible.

Ymir crouched, trying to find the rope between the leaves of a plant.

Annie looked up at Mikasa, and climbed up so she could look her in the eye. "Hey there." She said.

Mikasa looked at her. "Hey."

The fire gave everything an orange tint, and Annie's usually blue eyes seemed gray. Mikasa's eyes traveled over her golden hair, down her jawline, to the slightly raised corners of her mouth. Annie simply watched how the taller girl let her eyes travel down her body.

"Aren't you cold?" The question surprised Annie.

Annie shrugged. "Why?"

Mikasa glanced at Annie's abs. "Just, you're not wearing much. I figured you'd be cold after sunset."

"Yeah. I'd be nice to get back to that fire. Sasha's still there so it shouldn't go out. Although that little flame behind you doesn't look bad either."

"You can come in if you want."

"Are you sure? Won't the other guards notice?"

"No, unless you move the fire or stand in front of it they won't notice anything. So there's nothing strange about it."

Annie hopped over the makeshift wall and held her hands over the fire. Despite the fire, Mikasa still saw her shiver. Slowly she got behind her and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl.

"What are you doing?" Annie muttered.

"You're still cold right? Then isn't this the best way to warm up?"

"…I guess." Annie felt her cheeks get hot, but that had nothing to do with the fire in front of her. She was overly conscious of how Mikasa's body pressed into her back, the way her arms rested on her toned abdomen, how her hair tickled her neck, sweet breaths ghosting over her ear. Her heartbeat sped up, and she worried Mikasa would feel it.

She glanced over her shoulder, looking at Mikasa's face. Her eyes were closed, and the slightest of smiles rested on her lips. Annie had never really taken the chance to look at her, but Mikasa was beautiful. Mesmerizingly so. As if agreeing with that thought, her heartbeat sped up even more. She couldn't look away, and if Mikasa were to open her eyes now, she knew she'd be lost forever.

After a minute or two Annie lowered her arms, hesitantly placing them over Mikasa's. Mikasa hummed, nudging her head. Annie froze. Her heart definitely skipped a beat at that.

"Mmm. This is bad." Mikasa mumbled, her voice lower than usual. "I feel like I can just fall asleep like this."

"Then sleep, I'll watch over you." The words came out before she knew she wanted to speak them.

"I can't, we'll both get our butt kicked if we do that." She reasoned weakly.

"Aren't we the strongest duo there is?"

"Not when I'm sleeping." Mikasa yawned.

Annie felt like she could stroke her cheek and she wouldn't even open her eyes. A knot formed in her stomach. It would be so easy. Her skin would be warm and soft. But she didn't dare to.

"Found it!" Ymir's voice broke the daze she was in and she could finally look away from Mikasa's face. She sighed, not really wanting to leave. Ymir could wait a little longer.

As if agreeing with her thoughts, Mikasa held her tighter. Annie leaned her head back, resting it on Mikasa's neck. With each breath she took, she inhaled the sweet scent that was undoubtly Mikasa's.

She could feel her heartbeat now, light and slow, she really was falling asleep. Knowing that just by holding her she was able to relax this much, brought a smile to Annie's lips. "Sweet dreams." She whispered.

Mikasa leaned her weight more and more on her, so she decided to at least lay her down. She made to turn around, but the sudden movement caused Mikasa to jolt up.

"God, I hate night watch." She said, rubbing her face. She stepped away from Annie, who finally felt her heart slow down.

"Aww, I was just about to lay you down." Annie pouted.

"Idiot. I have to stay awake until sunrise. Well, at least I'll be free all day tomorrow."

"Really? Are you gonna spend the whole day with me then?"

"No, obviously. I'll probably sleep through the whole day."

"And you don't plan to make me your pillow?" Annie crossed her arms.

"Why would I?"

Annie raised her eyebrows. "Why? You seemed pretty eager to do just that a minute ago."

Mikasa looked away, blushing. "Shut up."

Annie continued to tease her until a third person joined them in the tree.

"Why are you still here?" Historia asked.

"Someone has to keep sleeping beauty here awake." She replied in a sarcastic tone.

Mikasa shot her a glare.

Historia put her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm here now so you can get going. But don't get me wrong, I'm just letting you go since you brought Krista back. If I ever see you on this side of the river again, I will shoot you." She grabbed her bow, as if to show how serious she was.

"Relax, just look after Krista if she gets hurt again and we won't have to come back anymore." She frowned. "I'd better tell Ymir that too." She hopped over the wall again, on the same branch as earlier.

Historia walked to the front of the treehouse, squinting her eyes as if she was looking for Ymir.

"Will I see you tomorrow at dinner?" Annie asked.

"Sure." Mikasa replied.

Annie leaned towards her, kissing her cheek, then jumped down, looking for Ymir.

"What was that about?" Historia asked.

"I don't know." Mikasa shrugged, watching as Annie disappeared into the night.

Ymir had her arms in her sides when Annie joined her. "Took you long enough. Care to enlighten me why?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"She asked me if I was cold, that's all there is to it."

"If you say so. Now watch out. The rope is between my legs, but you'll have to lift those short legs of yours if you don't want to get in trouble."

Annie glared at her and stepped over the rope. "Let's just go back to Sasha."

Let me know what you think!

Still accepting ideas for side pairings.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mikasa sat near the fire in the center of the village, eating a bowl of soup. She had woken up a couple of minutes earlier, feeling off as usual when she ate her breakfast with the sun this high in the sky. Someone sat down next to her.

"Hey. Wanna talk?" Levi said.

"About?"

"You've been going somewhere a lot these days. If you think looking for enemies is a way to redeem yourself for what happened at the island, stop it. It doesn't matter how good a fighter you are, when you're on enemy territory, you're no more than fish food."

Mikasa looked at him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't want you rushing to your death of course." He ruffled her hair.

"Don't do that when I'm eating!" She pushed his arm away and looked at the wet spot on her shirt. "And don't worry, I'm not trying to redeem myself by killing enemies."

"Are you sure? You've had quite a few cuts and bruises, too many for it to be from anything else than fighting. Normally only I can get you hurt like that."

"What, are you getting jealous?" Mikasa avoided the question.

"Of course not!" he crossed his arms and made an expression that was almost pouting. "But back to the point, who gave you those bruises?" he pointed at one at her arm.

Annie. Just thinking her name made her remember last night. It had been weird at first, but once her arms were around the blonde, she relaxed, and her mind started to fade. Even if it was a joke, Annie did offer to use her as a pillow, and the thought made her feel warm. And that kiss right before she left.

"Oh, I get it." Levi said, turning his gaze to the front.

"What?" Mikasa said confused. Her cheeks were warm. He must have seen her blush and made a conclusion based on it. "What do you get?"

"That you have someone you like. Sneaking out with them. You don't have to tell me who it is if you don't want to, but…" he looked at her. "I am kinda curious to who was able to catch your heart."

"What? No, it's not like that!" her face felt even warmer now.

He chuckled, a sound even she rarely heard. "And I have to believe you with a face like that?"

"That's just because you're saying stuff like that! There's no one I like." Somehow, those words didn't feel completely right.

"Hey, don't worry. Regardless if there's someone or not, I'm your cousin. I'll be here to support you. I know for myself how it is if someone is trying to force you into a relationship, so I'll drop it here."

"Hm. I heard, Reiss tried to hook you up with one of his daughters again."

"Yeah. I was so close to cutting his head off. The way he treats his kids, I can't approve of it. But I don't have the right to punish him for it. This is something Krista and Historia must work out on their own."

Mikasa continued to eat her soup, and silence hung between them for a while.

"Say, Levi. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but is there someone you like? Or has there ever been someone you like?" she looked at him.

His expression gave nothing away. He got up, and she followed him to the river. No one was around.

"It was eight years ago. A normal day, I went fishing to help the Yeagers out, like I did so often. I took the canoe upstream, casting out my net. I was so used to it I barely paid attention to my surroundings on the way back. That's when I bumped into him. He was rowing upstream, looking at the sky. Nearly fell out of his canoe when we hit each other." He smiled at that. "We looked at each other, and time passed without either of us drawing our weapons. Some warrior I am."

He picked up a stone and skipped it across the water. "He introduced himself. Erwin Smith. There was something about him that made it impossible for me to look away. I told him my name and he rowed on a little later. It took me a long time before I realized what I felt. Next time I saw him was a few years ago. We were picking fruit on Mabi island, and Trost had picked the same day to do so too. I was fighting, not even arrows managed to hit me. But then I saw him, calling out orders. I froze. I felt like I wanted to run up to him and protect him from the arrows. An enemy. That is when I realized how strong these feelings really are."

He sighed. "I was so captivated, I didn't notice the arrow until it hit me." He ran his fingers over the scar on his knee. "When I got back home I decided to get rid of these feelings. But there must be some silly joke going on or something, they won't go away no matter what I try." His voice shook with emotion in his last sentence.

Mikasa wrapped an arm around him. "Did you ever try to look for him?"

"I did. For years I went back to the place I first met him, every single day. Until I realized it was useless. Besides, he's an enemy." He gritted his teeth, trying his best to hold back his tears. "Damnit." His shoulders shook with soundless sobs.

Erwin Smith. Mikasa thought, maybe she could ask Annie about him later.

"Levi. If you ever had a chance to talk to him, one on one, what would you do?" she asked, careful not to hurt him further.

"Tell him how I feel of course. Even if I know there's no way we could ever be together, I can't help but try. I've heard so many stories of people who don't even try that, but at least they can be around the person they like whenever they want. I'd be the biggest idiot ever if I let such a chance go." His tears fell freely now.

Mikasa stayed by his side until he went home. After that she went to see Annie. It was still too early for dinner, but as expected she and Ymir had a fire going while working on the hut. She greeted them and started helping.

"Morning, beautiful. How was breakfast?" Annie joked.

"Good. And I've been up for a while actually."

"Really? Then you're ok with eating in an hour or so?" Ymir asked.

"Yeah, sure. What's for dinner?"

"I'll see what I can get. I'll be back in a bit." With that Ymir left.

Annie and Mikasa worked in silence for a bit, then Mikasa decided to take a shot at it. "Erwin Smith."

Annie's eyes widened and she looked at Mikasa. "Where did you here that name?"

"My cousin met him a couple of years ago. He'd like to meet him again."

"What? To kill him?"

"No, nothing like that. I… Please don't tell anyone else, not even Ymir or Erwin himself." Annie nodded. "He said it was love at first sight. He's my family, I want him to be happy. So I thought maybe I could somehow get them to meet and he'd at least have the chance to tell him how he feels." She looked at Annie with hopeful eyes.

"I can get where you're coming from… but making that happen won't be so easy. Smith is the chief of our tribe. Mabi island should be the best place to let them meet, but I doubt he'd go there without a group of guards."

Mikasa looked down and thought for a bit. If he was the leader of the Trost tribe then this was the perfect chance to end the war. Of course everything would depend on how things went between Erwin and Levi.

"Can you trick him into coming with you if you don't tell him where you're going?"

"Hmm. Maybe, but it'd still be tricky. Well he's kind of a weirdo so who knows."

"I checked before I left. Levi and I both have morning shift, so I can get him to the island after lunch. Do you think you can get Erwin there by then too?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. But I'll try. Just in case it doesn't work, we should have some kind of sign I can warn you with."

Mikasa pondered it for a while. "You can shoot a burning arrow across the river if you can't convince him. But it should be just the four of us on the island then. The less people there are the better it will be."

"All right. I'll shoot a couple of burning arrows in case it fails. But more importantly, make sure that cousin of yours has the guts to speak. Smith can be quite intimidating. He has this stare when he's demanding an explanation, and the longer you take before speaking the worse it gets. Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable." She shuddered, as if to shake the feeling away.

"I'll prepare him to the best of my abilities."

"Really, that's great Mikasa! You can get to it right away." Ymir interrupted the conversation and dropped a dead rabbit on a flat stone. "Well, what are you waiting for? Didn't you just say you'd make dinner?"

"What? I never said that."

The sun had set and Mikasa found Levi washing his face in the river. She looked around, no one was within hearing distance. There were two options, she could try to prepare him without telling him, or she could tell him now, avoiding a too great surprise tomorrow.

"Levi." He hummed in response. "I might be able to get you to meet with Erwin tomorrow."

His eyes widened and he fell forward, barely catching himself before he completely fell in the river. Even then it took a while before he could look at her. It had indeed been a good choice to tell him now. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, his eyes asking a hundred questions.

"I'm not sure if it'll work out, but I thought it'd be better to let you know beforehand." Mikasa said.

"How?" he finally managed to speak.

"…I think it's better if you don't know how, for now at least. I mean, it isn't even sure that I can get him to be there… but trust me on this. Just make sure you're ready to say what you need to by lunchtime tomorrow."

He just stared at her. "I can meet him? For real?"

"I'll do my best."

He stared across the river, smiling lightly as the news was starting to sink in.

"If you need me, I'll be at my house." Mikasa said and left.

During lunch, Mikasa kept her eyes on the sky over the river. If there was anything the guards would probably make it known, but she couldn't help it. She was nervous. But what she felt was nothing compared to Levi. He couldn't get a single bite down his throat.

"We're still on right?" he asked Mikasa, his nerves seeped into his voice.

"Yeah. Do you think you're ready?" she had finished lunch, so it was about time to leave.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He sighed.

"Let's go then."

Mikasa rowed to the island, casting worried glances at Levi. He looked even paler than usual, if she didn't know better, she'd think he was sick.

"You okay?" she asked when they were almost there.

"Yeah… just a bit nervous."

'A bit nervous' was quite the understatement, but Mikasa let it slide as she pulled the canoe on land. She led Levi to the rocks, where two blondes were waiting.

"Annie, what is the meaning of this?" the tall man asked.

Mikasa gave Levi a push, and they closed the remaining distance. Erwin's eyes bored into them. Mikasa could understand what Annie meant with his stare.

"Hi." Levi managed.

"Hm." Erwin frowned. "You. Levi, was it?"

"Yes." Levi's voice was still weak, but he seemed to be doing fine.

Mikasa locked eyes with Annie and nodded at the forest. They silently left, only speaking once they were out of hearing distance.

"He looked sick, are you sure he's prepared?" Annie asked.

"I told him last night that I could get them to meet. So I guess he had all the time he could get. Regardless of what happens, I think it's better than if I did nothing and he'd spent the rest of his life without ever having such a chance."

"Hm. I just told Smith I had to show him something and dragged him out here without an explanation."

They walked in silence for a while.

"Ymir would like to know when she'll see Krista again."

"That can take a while. After coming home that late she's grounded. As if that's going to make any difference." Mikasa huffed. "Just look at us. Trying to get Ymir and Krista together, setting up a date for my cousin. We're just pairing people up and getting nothing ourselves."

Annie glanced at Mikasa. "Do you wanna go on a date?"

Mikasa looked at her in surprise. "Now?"

Annie's face lit up. "Yeah."

"But I have only one canoe…"

"No problem, Smith never shares his, so we can go now."

"Okay." Annie grabbed her hand and ran through the trees to her canoe. The blonde rowed, her eyes fixed on Mikasa's face, a smile on her lips.

"Where are we going?" Mikasa asked after a while.

They had been going downstream and just passed the point where a smaller river joined in.

"I don't know." Annie placed the oars in the canoe. "But it doesn't matter where I go, as long as you're with me."

Mikasa blushed, thoughts about two nights earlier flashing through her mind. How nice it would be to hold her like that again. She looked up at Annie, suddenly feeling strangely conscious about everything she did. Judging by Annie's blush, she felt the same.

The river carried them further slowly, as they awkwardly gazed into each other's eyes. The sun beamed on them, and Annie decided to wash her face to cool down a bit.

"You're beautiful." Mikasa said.

"Uh, thanks."

Mikasa smiled. "Your facepaint came off. I've never seen you without it. It's nice."

"Oh. Why don't you wash yours off as well?"

Mikasa shrugged and did so, but regretted it since the sun's rays fell directly on her face. "I'm gonna get a sunburn like this."

"I guess I picked the good side. You can come and join me."

Mikasa turned around, and felt Annie's arms around her waist as soon as she sat down. Those arms pulled her close and Annie rested her head on her shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat. She could feel Annie's breath on her skin like a light breeze, her thumb stroking the fabric in her stomach.

"I'm glad I met you." She whispered.

"Me too." Mikasa said and placed a kiss on Annie's forehead.

They closed their eyes, allowing the river to carry them.

Let me know what you think!

Kyaaa~ they're finally on a date! My babies :3


	6. Chapter 6

This is not finished, and I won't continue it. Sorry. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

The canoe bumped into something, snapping Mikasa and Annie out of their daze. They hadn't really been sleeping, but the sun had progressed along the sky, telling them at least two hours had passed. The canoe had hit land and they decided to get out of the water a while before going back.

Annie picked some berries, a snack seemed nice. "Want some?" she asked, holding out her hand. Instead of taking one from the pile in her extended hand, Mikasa went for the single one between the fingers of her other hand, looking Annie straight in the eye. She smiled at Annie's furious blush.

Mikasa seemed a bit too happy about it to Annie's taste, and decided to take matters in her own hands. She picked another berry and held it in front of Mikasa's face.

Mikasa blushed and ate it, unable to look Annie in the eye this time. Annie smiled and patted her head. "You're so cute."

"Shut up." Mikasa still refused to look at her. Annie took her hand and led her to a rock to sit on.

They continued to eat the berries in silence. Annie wanted to pick the last one, but Mikasa was a tad bit faster.

"Hey! I wanted that!"

"Come and get it." Mikasa said tentatively, stickling out her tongue and placing the berry on it.

Annie blushed as Mikasa's tongue slowly retreated, taking the challenge. She leaned in, her eyes flickering between Mikasa's mouth and her eyes almost hesitantly. She gently kissed her lips, eyes closed, her heart hammering in her chest.

Mikasa hadn't really expected her to do that. She swallowed and cupped Annie's cheek, moving her lips to kiss her back. Annie's hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer. A small moan escaped Mikasa, she hadn't known she needed this.

Their lips continued to cares the other's, until drops started falling onto them. They leaned their foreheads together, gazing into each other's eyes.

"It's raining." Annie said.

"Yeah."

"We should probably go home when it stops raining."

"Yeah."

"… I love you."

Mikasa smiled. "I love you too." She leaned in for another kiss, sliding her arms down on Annie's back to pull her closer.

"When are you free tomorrow?" Annie asked.

"They're putting me on night shift again. Wanna drop by?"

"I'd love to. Just tell me where exactly I have to be."

"I'll tell you tomorrow. I still don't know who'll be with me though."

"If it's a problem you can just give them a sleeping drug."

"I'll come see you tomorrow, then I'll tell you everything you need to know." Annie placed another kiss on her lips.

Mikasa returned to her village just in time for dinner. She took a bowl of soup from the big cauldron in the center, and sat down next to Levi. She didn't say anything yet, and started to fill her stomach. "You were gone long." Levi said. Mikasa hummed, continuing to eat. "Seeing as you're no longer wearing your war paint you must've had fun." Mikasa couldn't help but smile.

"Rather than that, how did it go for you?"

Levi stared at his hands, voice low as he spoke. "I confessed."

"And?"

"He basically said he sees no problem in getting to know me, but can't because of his position. As long as we're at war I still might never see him again." He sighed, running his hand over his face. "He said that if I could get Reiss to the island at noon two days from now we could discuss peace." He paused. "I have absolutely no clue what to do. Every time I want to speak to Reiss about it, I just can't. How this is harder on me than confessing to Erwin is beyond me."

Mikasa pulled him into a hug, patting his back as she thought. "I'll go talk to Krista and Historia. They're in on this too."

Levi grabbed her hand as she wanted to stand up. "In on what exactly?"

Mikasa sighed, looking around. Most people were sitting around the fire a bit further, talking loudly. "Well, the girl that was with Erwin today was the one I ran into during my trail. We kind of got to be friends."

"And how do Krista and Historia come into the picture?" Levi asked.

"Well, I ended up going back to the island with Krista, and they were there too. By then we were fighting more just for the fun of it. Krista actually had things to do right then, so when we got back Historia got angry at us and wouldn't stop bugging me until she knew what we went to do."

Levi nodded. "I see." After a moment of silence, he said, "Do you think the twin can convince him? Reiss really hates the Trost tribe."

"It's our best shot. I just hope he doesn't try to kill anyone before talking." She sighed and got up. "I'll seek them out now." She found Krista and Historia around the biggest bonfire, sitting next to their father. Once she was close enough, she spoke up. "Krista, Historia, can I talk with you two?"

"Sure." They said in unison, but Reiss frowned, placing his hand on Krista's shoulder.

"Whatever it is you want to talk about, you do it here. I don't want you running off again."

"No offence, sir, but it's girl talk. And I can watch over Krista, no need to worry."

He looked at her for a second, then narrowed his eyes. "You're a warrior, why aren't you wearing your war paint?"

Mikasa's heart skipped a beat as she touched her cheek. "Oh, I washed my face to cool down a bit earlier today. I forgot."

"I'll let it slide this time, but don't make the same mistake twice. Unless you're sleeping, I need all my warriors ready for battle at all times." He patted on Krista's shoulder as a sign she could get up. "Make it quick."

"Thank you." Mikasa said and lead the twin out of earshot. "I need your help." She said. "Long story short, we can meet with the leader of the Trost tribe two days from now to talk about peace. So we would need to get your father on Mabi island without him trying to cut heads off."

Krista and Historia exchanged a look. "I'm all for peace if that's possible, but convincing father might be a little harder." Historia said.

"I know, that's why I said we need to get him there without him cutting off heads. Get him in a more talkative mood. You two know him best. So I was hoping you'd find some way to make it happen."

"Well, we'll try to talk him into the idea of peace. And if all else fails, I can still say I'm marrying someone of Trost and he won't ever see me again unless he talks peace. And then run off before he can stop me." Krista said.

"Are you gonna marry Ymir?" Historia said surprised.

"What? No, we aren't even dating yet, I mean, I…" Krista trailed of, a dark blush appearing on her face.

"Until we have peace, if it even gets that far, I can't let you date the enemy, Krista. I still think it's too dangerous." Historia said.

Mikasa tensed, hoping they wouldn't ask her how her day was. "I said if all else fails!" Krista countered. "And I won't marry an enemy. It's just a backup plan for if we can't convince dad. Speaking of him, it's probably time I went back. But don't worry Mikasa, we'll get through to him."


End file.
